The present invention generally relates to identifying valuables when they are lost or stolen and more particularly to a do-it-yourself kit for labeling valuables and other objects for their identification and for verifying ownership.
Many objects require verification for authentication purposes. Such objects include, inter alia, paintings, sculptures, cartoon cells, sports and other collectibles, and like works of art; videocassette recorders (VCRs), televisions, and like household electronic equipment; and computers, printers, CD players, and like office and business equipment. Other instances of identification in order to verify ownership, include, for example, records, audio and video tape cassettes, computer software recorded on floppy disks/compact discs/diskettes, perfumes, designer clothes, handbags, briefcases, automobile/airplane parts, securities (e.g., stock certificates), wills, identification cards (driver's licenses, passports, visas, green cards), credit cards, smart cards, and like objects. A flagrant piracy explosion over the past decade involving many of the foregoing products has plagued many industries. Alternatively, counterfeiting of such objects has become a thriving business and the need to identify authentic from counterfeit objects is of great importance.
Often, these objects have no serial number or other unique means of identification, or the number can be removed easily following a theft. Thus, a simple method for reliably identifying such objects would be welcomed by the owners. Especially welcome would be a do-it-yourself kit so that ordinary citizens (non-professionals) would be able to uniquely and permanently identify their valuable possessions. For present purposes, “valuable” is used in a relative sense in that the owner of the object values the object, whether for monetary, investment, or sentimental purposes.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,578, there is disclosed a technique for labeling objects for their identification and/or authentication involving the use of a combination of a mark visible to the naked eye and a mark invisible to the naked eye. The invisible mark or component of the system is one or more of an ultraviolet radiation (UV) dye, an infrared (IR) dye, an ink that displays a selected measurable electrical resistivity, or a biologic marker which may be a protein, amino acid, DNA, polypeptide, hormone, or antibody.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,030,657 is directed to a method for labeling an object for its identification. This method includes providing a biologic marker labeled with an agent that emits selected detectable wavelengths of energy when exposed to infrared radiation (IR), and associating the labeled marker with the object, whereby, the object to be identified can be exposed to IR and emitted select wavelengths of energy from said agent detected. The agent can be an upconverting phosphor, a lanthenide ion (bound to a naphthalene group), or other chemical that emits selected detectable wavelengths of energy when exposed to infrared radiation (IR). The materials are encapsulated in an encapsulant that is resistant to the environment in which the materials are used such as, for example, an ink formulation. However, the encapsulant can be opened (e.g., by selective dissolving) and the materials inside (e.g., biologic, IR emitting, etc.) determined. A presently preferred encapsulant is casein which has been self cross-linked to provide resistance to hydrophobic ink formulations in which it desirably is placed.
A series of patents, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,536,672, 6,354,501, and 6,203,069, propose combinations of IR phosphors and UV sensitizers for use along with bar codes to label products for identification and authentication. A spectrum analyzer therefor is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,274,873.